Roll for rolling car-rails



4 Sheets-Sheet l.

- .Jf MOXHAM su J. R. TRANTER.

BULL FUR ROLLING GAR RAILS. No. 292,759. L PatentedJan. 29, 1884.`

(N0 Model.)

, 4 sheens-sheet 2.4 A. J.M XHAM 8U JQR. TRANTBR. ROLL FR ROLLING GAR RAILS.

No. 292,759. y Patented Jan, 29, 1884.

(No Mdel.)

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N PETERS( nwm-Lnhagmpimr, washington. D. C.

(No Model.) v 4Sheets-S11eet 3.

A.'J. MOXHAM 8l: J. R. TRANTER.

BULL FR ROLLING CAR RAILS. Y l No. 292,759. u Patented Jan. 29,1884.

` 4 sheets-sheet 4.

A. J.. MOXHAM 8v J. R. TRAl\TI'.R.v

. ROLL POR ROLLE-NG GARRAILS.

No. 292,759. Patented Jam.A 29, 1884.

(No Model.)

Jmfma y Z7 Pnnmumngnpmv. wnmingmh n C Unire-n. STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

AR'll-llll J. l\"lOXl[Al\l AND JOHN R. TRANTER, OF LOUTSVLLLE, KENTUCKY.

ROLL FOR ROLLING CAR-RAlLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 292,759, dated January 529, 1884;.

y Application filed October 23, 18852. (No modil.)

shave jointly invented a new and useful Im-' provenient in Rolls for Rolling Car-Rails of a Symmetrical Flan ged CrossSection, which invention or improvement is full y set forth and illustrated in the following specification andio accompanying drawings. y

The object of this invention is to construct a seriesv of rolls whose forming and ,finishing grooves or passes shall have such conformation that said rolls shall be capable of rolling light i 5 rails of very irregular form of cross-section7 more particularly ofthe new form known to the trade and in the art as the Johnson rail.7 Said rail is a double-flanged girderrail, principally used for the tracks of streeteo cars or tramcars. In furtherance of this ob ject the machinery used consists of two sets of rolls, one set roughing or forming rolls, the other finishing-rolls, which sets may be either .f Ltwo high77 or three high,77 as preferred, c 5 said rolls being of such conformation and operating as is hereinafter described, and specifi- Acally sot forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in front elevation the first rolls for 3o roughing or forming a hot billet or ingot into a bar having some approach to the desired form of rail. Fig. 2 shows the second set of rolls for finishing the bar into a rail ol' the desired form. Figs. 3 and 4L show the outlines 3 5 of templets of all the roughingpasses. Fig. 5 shows the outlines of templets of all the finishing-passes.` Said outlines constitute fullsize views ot" templcts carefullyn taken from the passes of rolls in actual use7 and by means no of templets taken from these outlines rolls such as herein described can be accurately turned. The lines of the templets in the drawings have been drawn across each other for the sake of bringing as many templets as 45 possible within the range of one view, and thus avoid the use ofmany sheets of drawings.

The full-size views would otherwise take up a -1 whole sheet to each templetand views less than full-size might fail of delineation with suf 5o iicient accuracy. The numbering of the lines will avoid any confusion in following or tracing the outlines of the several templets. The last templet of the series above described illus trates in outline atrue crosssection ofthe finished rail. 5 5

The absolute diameters of the rolls in the .neck and in the passes, and also the length of the respective rolls, may be varied within certainlimits at discretion for necessary strength; but it is best that the relative diameters in the 6o passes (where varied) should vary substantially in the proportions hereinafter set forth. Good proportions for the rolls, however, I have found to be as follows: body of roughing-rolls, sixtytwo inches long by sixteen inches diame- 6 5 ter at the pitch-line of deliveryg7 body of finishing-rolls, forty inches long by sixteen inches in diameter at the pitch-line of delivery. Necks of the rolls may be nine inches in diameter and eight inches in length. The re- 7: maining parts ofthe rolls may be constructed according to any rules of good practice, such as are well known to those skilled in the art. Templet No. l shows a iiattening-pass or dummy, in which pass the rolls are of the sanie diam eter. No. 2 shows a forming or edge pass7 in which the top roll is one-fourth inch larger in diameter than the bottom roll. No. 3 shows a dummy or flattening-pass in which the rolls are of thesame diameter. No. 4 shows So an edge-pass, in which the top roll is threeeighths inch larger in diameter than the bottom roll. No. 5 shows adummy or flattening-passin which the rolls are of the same diameter. No. 6 shows an edge-pass in which the top roll is S 5 oneeighth inch larger in diameter than the bottom roll. Templet No. 7 shows the first pass of the `finishing-rolls, all the passes in which are edge-passes. In this passthe bottom roll is one-eighth inch larger in diameter 9o than the top roll. No. 8 shows an yedge-pass in which the bottom roll is one-fourth inch larger in diameter than the top roll.' No. 9 shows an edgepass in which the bottom roll is one-eighth inch larger in diameter than the top 95 roll. No. l() shows an edge-pass in which the bottom roll is one-fourth inch larger in diameter than the top roll. No. 1l shows the last finishing-pass, in which the diameters of the rolls are the same. The locations ofthe partroo kwhen turned upon its4 side.

ing-lines of the rolls are indicated on the templets by the lines thereon, Arespectively marked x.

The course of the billet in being rolled into a finished rail and the operations throughout the several passes will now be explained, as follows: The hot billet of iron or steel ingot is first put iiat into the grooves or pass of No., 1, then on edge into No. 2, then fiat into No. 3, then on edge into No. 4, then iiat again into No. 5, and then on edge into and passedthrough No. 6, when the billet is formed into a bar ready for the finishing-rolls. In the iinishing-rolls the bar follows, consecutively, without any turning over or flattening, into the grooves or passes in Nos. '7, S, '9, 10, and l1, coming out of No.11 straight and finished, the whole rolling operation having been accomplished at one heating. The character of rail Ifor rolling which these havevbeen `designed is such-that is, of both a very irreg-v ular form of'fcross-section and comparatively small mass or light weight-that it is nec essary to not only provide means for shaping the metal without tearing its small and vdiversely-disposed mass, but also to deliver vit through each pass without any curve be-l ing imparted to it in the rolling; otherwise Vit cannot` be both flat-rolled and edge-rolled,

as is done in the roughing-rolls herein described. The bar being necessarily turned for each of said operations, it would not, if curved either upward or downward toward either roll, enter the flattening-passes or dummies Such, however, is the disposal of themass of metal into the several passes of the rolls, as described, in` conjunction with the described variations in `diameter of rolls and locations of their partin g-lines, that the above-mentioned objects arev fully secured, such draft being thus iinparted to the rolls that all tendency in the metal to curve, either laterally or vertically, iscompletely neutralized, and the billet or bar is delivered straight and uninjured from the several passes, without being either torn or strained beyond its powers of cohesion.

In rolling either ironY or steel into the sectional shape above given, our experience has shown that it is very difficult to produce a rail of such sectional contour by the means ordinarily adopted for rolling rails, even some what approximating the contour above given.

AIn pass No. l of the roughingrolls above de-` -fscribed one side of the pile or ingot, owing to the shape of the pass, is reduced more than straight.

the other. Thus more work is put on one side thereof than on the other, which action, if not counteracted, would, by elongating the metal on one side more than on the other, deliver it from said pass curved laterally, instead of It will be observed, however, that there is alarge protrusion or tongue in the center of the groove in the top roll,- the effect of whose obstruction in the pass is to produce what may be called a neutral axis between veffective diameter of either groove.

the two differently-compressed sidesof'the sequence, said metal cannot flow from one side to the other of said axis; hence lateral orhori- Zontalcurvature in the metal as it leaves the pass is prevented and it is delivered straight from said pass. There are three passes provided with tongues of this same characternamely, iiattening-passes Nos. l, 3, and 5. vIt

was found by experiment impossible to produce the desired offset in the billet in onepass only, and at the same time retain the efficacy ofthe tongues in holding the billet straight therein and so delivering it therefrom. In

pass No. 2 :the upper roll, A, is larger in diameter than the lower roll, B, while the sec tional area ofthe part ofthe hot metal passed,

through the groove in roll B is smaller than that passed through the groove in roll A, said grooves together constituting said pass No. 2. This difference in sectional area of metal within the top and bottom groove, respectively, in said pass is quite manifest to the eye by observing the Yparting-lines of the rolls, clearlyT indicated at said pass, and also indicated on a larger scale on templet No. 2 by the letter The location of the parting-lines, therefore, at this pass (as well as at all the other edging-pass es), determines whether more or less sectional area of metal shall be drawn by one roll or the other, for suoli is the shape of each groove, as shown in the pass, and clearly manifested on a larger scale by the contour lines of theteinplet, that no one measurement will give the By measuring each variation in diameter a mean diameter, however, may be obtained, said mean, however, being but the resultant of the several differential. measurements; hence each of said grooves is of a differential diameter, not a uniform diameter, and this also applies to all the other edging-passes of each set of rolls. It must be evident, now, that this smaller sectional area of metal drawn through the lower metal being rolled in said pass, and, as a con- Y IOO IIO

groove of said pass No.2 could only be so drawn by an excess of work-compressive, elongative,

or drawing work-on the part of the bottom roll n Ain said pass.

The effect of said excess, -however, is balanced by the larger mean diameter of the top rollin the upper groove of said pass,

as below explained. The draft exerted in said pass No. 2 by each roll, respectively, is therefore practically equalized by reason of theV greater peripheral speed of the""roll of larger mean diameter in said pass. This mean diameter is properly the diameter of j* the circle in which lies the pitch-line of thegroove. Each"groove may therefore have a mean or a special diameter of its own, measured at its pitch-linethat is, a diameter whose extremes -are bounded by a circle described bythe mean radius ofthe groove-while the rolls, irrespective of their grooves and necks, are said to have only uniform or equal diameters, whose radii extend from the center of' each roll to a common center between the centers of the rolls.

A line through said common center, parallel cumferences of two circles ywhose radii are equal tohalf the distance of the centers of the rolls apart; hence the pitch-lines of none of the grooves need necessarily coincide with thepitch-line of deliverylof the rolls in order to effect a straight delivery of metal.

'Wherever the metal in course of being rolled is most reduced in sectionalarea in one portion of a pass as compared with the rest of thatpass, it is manifest that the amountof work required to produce this reduction of area must at such point or place be the greatest hencc the metal being more elongated by the roll doing the greaterl work in pass No. 2 (the lower roll of lesser diameter) would curve away from said roll in a verti zal plane were this tendency not couut-eracted and straight delivery secured by the difference in diameters of the rolls in said pass, as ,j ust described. For the same reason the same straight delivery is secured in passes it and G; but the tongues in the edge-passes Nos. 2, 4, and G, instead of acting as neutral axes in said passes, merely co-operate, by reason of their peculiar shape,

' with the other portions of their respective grooves in the necessary forming or shaping of the mass of metal being rolled. The provincc of the tongues in passes 2, 4L, and 6 is thus seen to be essential] y different from that of the tongues in passes l, 3, and 5, for in passes l, 3, an d5 reliance 'for straight delivery,as against lateral curvature, is placed upon the tongues therein 5 but in passes 2, 4, and (i reliance for straight delivery, as against vertical curvature, is placed upon difference in diameter of rolls effectingunepial reductio'liis of area of metal in said passes, and the tongues therein have no special function in the delivery, but only in forming or shaping the rail, for it will be observed that the liaroportions ofthe last-named tongues relative-ly to their respective grooves .are essentially different from the proportions of the tongues in passes 1. 3 5 relatively to their respective grooves. y

It is particularly of importance that the rails should leave the last pass (No. 1'1)so free :from tendency to curve or twist as not to require any hot-straightening, the usual method ofdoing which is by blows with a wooden niaul.

i This straightening by blows, however, is inadinissible with a railof such small area of crosssection and light weight, as a blow of the force necessary to straighten it would warp or bend the light illanges. The rail must therefore straighten itself to great nicety during itsr final,dclivery; hence the diameters of the iinishing-rolls in the :final pass are made equal,

but the parting-line of the rolls at said pass is thrown upward somewhat, as indicated at the rllhis location of in conjunction with the peculiar shape of pass,

and consequent distribution of metal in and shape imparted to the rail, accurately secures the desired object by properly localizing or distributing the draft of the rolls, and the finished rail is delivered straight to great nicety.

As the respectivelocations of the parting'- lines of a set of rolls for rolling rails of irreglilar forms may be made to have so appreciable au effect on the delivery of the metal from the passes contiguous to said lines, some explanation on the subject more in detail may be of imliiortai'ice. For the ordinary flat groove the 'partilzig-line of the rolls is always above the center of the groove, owing to the forni and construction of the collars needed to secure good edges to the rolled bar. Now, the roll which takes in its enfibracetlle greater mass of metal, the rolls having the same' diameter and equal draft, will," by reason ofthe greater friction thus created, determine the delivery ofthe metal in a curve in the directionI of its own rotation. In practice, the collar- `rolls used for rolling 'fiat bars or iiats7 are ltact with the grooves formed by the. sides oit' the collars and the intervening surface of the bottom roll. lt is evident, therefore, that the sides of the collars create a larger excess of friction in the bottom. roll, but perform no rolling work in reducing or drawing' out the metal. Under these circumstances the tendency above mentioned vin the metal to hug the bottom roll and to curve downward in the direction ot' its rotation is in practice overcome by the use of a guide which catches the point ofthe bar coming through the pass and strips it from the roll, whence it is delivered upon said guide. 'Now, such curving in the direction of the rolls rotation,due to excess of mere fri ctional contact between metal and roll, m ust not be confounded with curving or tendency to'curve away from a roll eithe laterally or vertically, duc to excess of work on the part of such roll, as hereinbeibre explained. The curve or tendency to curve in delivery either laterally or vertically, due to excess of work in one rollin either a lateral. or vertical direction, is tecl'niically 'known as excess of draft77 in such roll. The roll, theretbre,do ing the greater work of reduction or drawing77 is said to have an excess of draft.

As it is manifestly desirable to have a certain and regulated delivery of the metal toward that point where preparation has been made to meet it, the action oryeffeet of the collars is sometimes increased by making the difference in diameter of rolls aid saidy effect.

IIO

. ing up the parting-lines.

' would be to twist or throw the rail up.

On the other hand, should the bite or friction of the collars, due to their shape, be excessive, the diameters of the rolls are soV related that theytend to counteract the collars said action. ln the former case the top roll, and in the latter case the bottom roll, is given thelarger diameter, :thus either aiding or opposing curvature or tendency to curve caused by friction by curvature or tendency to curve caused by draft. Now, in rolls where the grooves are deep and the friction of the collars excessive, the location of the parting-lines becomes of special importance. In the finishing rolls herein described the several locations of these parting-lines are such that a perfect cooperation with t-he relativo draft of the different grooves is secured, and particularly in the last finishing-pass, for it will be seen that the rail as it leaves the preceding pass (No. 10) is of such form that an excess of work is put on its long flange as said iiange passes through groove No. ll of the bottom roll-not merely enough Vto secure a flow of metal at this point equal to that in the rest of the rail, but enough more than this to overcome the greater friction of this deep groove through which the flange is passing. In other words, the friction being relatively greater at this point, that part of the rail is treated for this one pass, where greater nicety of delivery is required than in any of the othervpasses, as distinctly separate from the rest of the rail. As the friction va- -ries with the temperature of the rail, and this temperature itself, in practice, is to a certain extent variable, the draft is made such that it will equal or slightly vexceed the greatest fric-v tion. Were the parting-lines central at this final pass, the tendency of this construction This tendency, however, is counteracted by throw- The rail is thus virtually gripped at its point of contact with the parting-line of the rolls, while the iiange is thrown up (considered as being acted vupon the rail.

-linesin the finishing-rolls, and thev effect of said locations upon the delivery of the metal from the other passes in said rolls, it can only p be necessary, after the very full explanations already made of the dimensions of parts-and of the effect of location of partinglines gen- Verally, to call attention to the several tem plets of said passes, whereon the several parting-lines at the respective passes are indicated by the letter fr. By referring to said templets and to the general view, Fig. l2, the

templets illustrated being accurate drawings of the metal templets carefully taken from rolls in actual use in which many tons of rails have been successfully rolled,) those skilled in the art can better comprehend howto construct and proportion the grooves and to locate said parting-lines for either larger or smaller rolls orheavier rails than by any further verbal description. It will be sufficient, therefore, to state that after much practical and costly experiment, as well as study, the rolls in question were produced, and that by the coaction in the finishing-rolls of the parting lines described with the differential diameters of one and the same groove,'as well as with the difference in mean diameters, or diameters measured at their. respective pitch-lilies of two opposite grooves, the draft in the series of grooves is so modified or regulated as to effect a' straight delivery of metal from the passes without tearing it or overstraining its powers of cohesion. i

Vhile the broad principles underlying this invention are not claimed to be new per se, yet said principles have been applied in so novel a manner therein as to produce effects not so produced in prior inventions., As fact-s in rolling-mill practice, it is ef importance to consider that turning a bar in the nishingrolls, unlike turning a bar in the roughingrolls, involves, owing to greater length and flexibility of the bar, special preparation and additional labor and delay, all of which is costly, and the saving of which time and outlay it is desirable to accomplish. In this invention throughout the whole finishing operation there is no turning from edge-rolling to fiat-rolling, or vice versa; and it maybe further observed that the parting-lines in the edging-passes do not, as is usually the case, follow the conveniences of construction after the determination of other conditions, by which means such locations exercise no positive but only a neutral intiuence; but in this invention the other conditions of construction coact positively with the locations of the para ing-lines, and thus is secured a straight delivery of metal. The respective locations of the parting-lines, however, are only claimed relatively to the grooves respectively contignous to said lines, as heretofore described, and

illustrated in the drawings.

lt may sometimesbe the case that the bl ooms to be rolled are too large to enter pass No. 1. In such case the bloom can be sufficiently reduced in size in another groove or grooves prior to its entry into pass No. l. lt may also happen that a rail may be required having its bottom flangesreduced in width or npsetinto a foot, or entirely obliterated to suit special methods of fastening the rail in track, as into some form of chair or otherwise. In such case the rolls can be modified without departing from the principles of construction embodied in this invention. To do not therefore limit ourselves to the precise or identical IlO formsof templets shown, to thc'lexelusion of every possible modification.

Ve are aware that rails have been heretoi fore shaped by both fiat-rolling and edge-rolt ing; but We are not aware that a rail has heretofore been produced by rolls having three dummies or flattening-passes and three edgerolling passes alternately placed and so delivering the billet as to avoid its subsequent turning.

We are aware, also, that mere difference in diameters of rolls is not new per se, and sneh construction, per se, we do not claim. Nor do We claim, as an article of manufacture, a rail having the cross-section indicated by templet No. ll, known in the art and to the trade as the Johnsoi'l rail;77 but As of our invention, We claiml. A set of forinin or roughing rolls for roll .ing billets or ingots into bars for flanged gir- `metal being rolled to curve sidewise, due tok said unequal draft, is ob'viated by tonguesin the upper grooves of said passes and straight delivery thereby secured, substantially as set forth. l

3. A set of rolls for rolling flanged girder rails, provided with. a flattening-pass of unequal draft laterally, in Which straight delivery is secured by a tongue in the upper groove of said pass, and also with an edging-pass, in which straight delivery is vsecured by means ofthe rolls7 difference in diameter in said er g- ,k

ing-pass, substantially as set forth.

et. A set of finishing-rolls for edge-rolling flanged girder-rails, (Without flat-rolling the sanie,) having parting-lines located at their respective passes, as described and shown, and aseries of grooves ofdiiferential diameter each, whereby the draft in said passes is caused to vary at each of said diameters ininverse ratio to said diameters, so that the rail is delivered from said passes without tearing or overstraiir ing its metal, substantially as set forth.

5. A set of finishing-rolls for edge-rolling iron or steel bars of irregular forms of cross-section into flanged girder-rails, (witho ut flat-roll.- ing the sama) said rolls having partinglines located at their respective passes relatively to the difference in diameters of the several grooves in said passes, as described and shown, by means of which locations and differences in diameter a long and deep flange of rail can be passed out ofthe bottom grooves, free from the bottom roll, substantially as set forth.

ifi. A set of fnishingrolls for rolling iron or steel bars of irregular forms of cross-section linto flanged girder-rai ls, said rolls havin g equal diameters in their last pass, and their parting: lines at said pass located as described and shown, whereby the finished rail is delivered straight or uncurved and free from tendency to curve toward either roll, thereby dispensing With the usual straightening operation after rolling, substantially as set forth.

A. J. MOXHAM. J. R. FRANTEIR. lVitnesses:

W. L. DicinsoN, E. S. Sutri-mn.

It. is hereby certified that. in Letters Patent No. 292,759, geauted January 29, 1884, upon the application of Arthur J; Moxham and John R. Tmnter, of Louisville, Kentucky, for au improvement'. in Rolls for Rolling Car-Rails, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: ln line 7, page 1, the words a symmetrical should read an asymuwtrical; and that the letters patent should be read with this correction therein bo makei it conform to the record of the case iu the Patent Oee.

Signed, eountersigned, and sealed this 26th day of February, A. D. 1884.

[SELL] M. L. JOSLYN,

Acting Secretary of the Interior. Colmbersigned:

R. G. DYENFORTH,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

